EFFECTIVENESS OF APPLICATION OF LETTUCE LEAVES EXTRACT FOR TETRACHLOROMETHANE LIVER INJURY IN RATS

Abstract

Introduction. Recently, the frequency of toxic liver damage has increased significantly, which is associated with chemical industrial production and uncontrolled use of hepatotoxic drugs. All this requires the study of the mechanisms of the effect of toxicants on the body and the development of new means of protection against the toxic effects of xenobiotics. Herbal and synthetic drugs are widely used for the treatment of toxic hepatitis. At present, interest in herbal hepatoprotectors has grown significantly, as phytohepatoprotectors have many advantages over synthetic drugs, so the search for new herbal remedies is constantly ongoing.

The aim of the study – to investigate the membrane-protective properties of a dry extract from lettuce leaves under the conditions of toxic damage to the liver by tetrachloromethane.

Research Methods. The experiment used 78 white male rats, which were divided into four groups: 1 – intact control; 2 – rats affected by tetrachloromethane (at a dose of 1.0 ml/kg of body weight; 3 – rats affected by tetrachloromethane after using a dry extract from lettuce leaves; 4 – rats affected by tetrachloromethane after using karsil. Dry extract from leaves salad was used in a dose of 100 mg/kg of body weight, the comparative drug Karsil in the same dose – 100 mg/kg. Rats were euthanized under thiopental anesthesia on the 4^th, 7^th, 14^th and 21^st days of the experiment with compliance all rules for working with vertebrate animals. The activity of aminotransferases and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase was determined in blood serum and liver, and the erythrocyte intoxication index in blood. Parametric and non-parametric research methods were used for statistical data processing.

Results and Discussion. During the entire period of the study, the activity of ALT and AST in the blood serum increased progressively after exposure to tetrachloromethane. These indicators experienced the maximum increase on the 21^st day of the development of toxic hepatitis. An increase in the activity of GGT in blood serum was noted, which increased 1.8 times on the 21^st day after the lesion. In the liver, a reverse trend was observed to decrease the activity of ALT, AST, and GGThds, and with the extension of the study period, the activity of these enzymes increased. When studying the percentage of permeability of the erythrocyte membrane, it was established that damage to the liver of rats with toxic doses of CC14 led to an increase in its permeability, which at the end of the experiment increased by 52 %. Application after exposure of rats with tetrachloromethane led to normalization of the studied indicators, this was most evident on the 14^th and 21^st day of the experiment. Karsil was more effective, with its application, all indicators were normalized already from the initial terms of the study.

Conclusions. The use of a dry extract from a salad of seed leaves under the conditions of tetrachloromethane damage to the liver showed an effective effect on cytolytic processes in the body, which can confirm its membrane-protective properties, which are realized due to the antioxidant effect of biologically active substances contained in this raw material.